The JDLand commentariat (and those who stop by to keep up on Tidbits) knew all of this a few weeks ago, but JBG Smith has now officially announced the start of leasing at West Half, its 465-unit building just across the street from Nats Park. The official web site has floor plans and prices, which show a range from a 365-sf studio starting at $1,770 up to a 1,250-sf three bedroom going for upwards of $6,400. There's also of course information about the building and its amenities, and a hint about...

THE 1205 COLLECTION: What we have been calling "West Half" is now apparently two separate residential "buildings," with the portion closest to the ballpark now dubbed "The 1205 Collection." It will have its own lobby entrance, and has larger units, with terraces, higher-end appliances, and additional amenities. The 1205 will open later this fall.

Also officially announced (and also already posted a few weeks back on the Ticker) are two more food outlets: DC's third outlet of HipCityVeg, and Basebowl, a ramen, dumplings, and Asian barbecue restaurant from the restaurateur behind Reren in Chinatown.

With all of this news, I wandered down to Half and N to check things out, and found that the two residential lobbies are furnished (but the windows were too dusty to take pictures), and vegetation is being planted up on the balconies. But, more importantly, there is now signage marking all of the leased spaces, so you can start sketching out your plan of attack. So I had to make a dumb map.

Starting in the corner space directly across from the Center Field Gate, there's the two-floor space for both the American bistro Gatsby and its sibling the all-day Mah Ze Dahr bakery. Heading up Half, you'll next encounter Basebowl, then then sizeable Atlas Brew Works space, followed by HipCityVeg, and Cold Stone Creamery. Then--surprise!--Compass Coffee and Union Kitchen Grocery run along the building's northern side, along a pedestrian-only "Via" between Half and Van. The two lobbies are on Van Street. As of now, there's no retail announced for the two-story corner space in the building's southwestern corner, at Van and N.

Half Street is gonna feel a little different next season. (And this is just one side of the street, as we await announcements from the Kelvin apartments and Envy condos to see what the offerings will be on the east side of Half, other than Punch Bowl Social.)

For, oh, about 14 years now, people have been asking me when the 1st Street SE facade of Nationals Park might ever be "activated," as the kids say. Well, I might place a bet on that time finally arriving.

The Washington Business Journal reported late last week that there are now plans by the team for a 35,000-square-foot "entertainment venue" attached to the stadium--an actual addition, not just opening some eateries in the existing ground-floor retail spaces--as seen in these first renderings:

It *could* be a space for a sportsbook, a notion which the team has said it is "exploring." But in the meantime, it is "expected to offer three restaurants: one white tablecloth restaurant just shy of 2,800 square feet, and the two others, and the main and mezzanine levels, totaling nearly 19,000 square feet--and 742 seats." There would also be a "large main bar" on the ground floor.

The Nationals would be the developer, and would pay for the "expected to be substantial" construction costs, except for the $2.6 million that Events DC has contracted to contribute--if the council allows the contract to move forward. (Why Events DC? Because back when it was the DC Sports and Entertainment Commission, the ballpark's zoning order required DCSEC to build 36,000 square feet of "retail, services, entertainment or arts uses" at the ballpark, of which only about 11,000 square feet has been completed.)

The Nats would also get to keep all the revenue from the space.

The 1st and Potomac intersection, after being a pretty lonely spot for the first years of the ballpark's life, is now reaping the rewards of the outdoor bars at Dacha and the Salt Line, along with there now being actual residents living along Potomac Avenue, in Dock 79 (and the Maren before too much longer).

Will it happen? Will it end up looking like this? Will there be betting? We Shall See.

And, just for the fun of it, here's what the angles depicted in the two drawings looked like Before the Ballpark, in February 2006. Truly. I'm not kidding.

Another residential project is now officially on its way, as Lerner Enterprises announced last week the start of construction on 1000 South Capitol, its 244-unit apartment building on the site of Nationals Parking Lot K between K and L Streets, SE (sharing the block with the 1015 Half Street office building, home of Bonchon).

The project will have 10,000 feet of retail alongside the sort of amenities that are de rigeur in new buildings: 24/7 concierge, state-of-the-art fitness center, private dining room with a demonstration kitchen (and wine lockers!), theater room, business center, infinity-edge rooftop swimming pool and club area, luxury pet spa, bike storage, and more.

Back in the day, 1000 South Capitol was initially planned to be an office building, but in 2015 word first started filtering outthat the site had been switched to residential. And now, here we are.

It is, somewhat surprisingly, only the fourth project to get underway in the neighborhood in 2019, along with the new DDOT HQ at 250 M Street, the 74-unit condo building at 37 L, and the I-promise-I-will-get-my-act-together-and-build-a-project-page multi-building project being called "CSX East" on the railroad company's former land west of New Jersey and adjacent to the freeway. (And I will update my Current Projects map as soon as I can figure out how to squeeze in more words in the extremely well-filled areas west of 1st Street.)

And stay tuned for a post on the other new Lerner(ish) project now on the boards.

* PROTECTED LANES: Via Twitter (sensing a theme?), after much (much!) discussion of the perpetual vehicle occupation of the 1st Street bike lanes, both sides of the 1200 block are now separated and protected.

It's the summer doldrums, when not only is there not really much news, but even when there is, I can't summon energy from my heat-depleted body to do much about it. But here are a few, plus a fresh new thread for the on-the-ball JDLand commentariat to keep chatting about the latest goings on.

* SHILLING OPEN: It took a while, but the Shilling Canning Company, a "modern mid-Atlantic restaurant." is now open at 360 Water Street, SE, in the ground floor of Arris across from Ice Cream Jubilee. Here's the Washingtonian and Eater pieces on the latest addition to the neighborhood's culinary lineup.

* UPS STORE: Longtime JDLand reader @202FSUNole passed along this shot yesterday of a "UPS Store Coming Soon" sign in the space previously occupied by Capital One on New Jersey between L and M, making it the neighborhood's first shipping store.

* POPLAR POINT RAMP CLOSING: The ramp that leads from Poplar Point and the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail up to the northbound side of South Capitol Street and the Douglass Bridge is being closed as of July 21, DDOT has announced. It's not clear yet whether this means the side path will be closed as well.

* THE KELVIN: When it's this hot, it's particularly apropos to pass along the news that the apartment project at 1250 Half Street (the rental sibling to Envy condos) has been named The Kelvin.

Civil permit for grading, site demo, and installation of sediment erosion control measures
Site utilities, provide property. Stormwater management will be under subsequent permits.

1100 NEW JERSEY AVE SE

08/22/19
SQUARE 742 LLC / null

E1910802 /
SUPPLEMENTAL

1275 NEW JERSEY AVE SE

08/23/19
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / ROBERT K WILLETT; ROBERT K WILLETT

E1910857 /
SUPPLEMENTAL

09/03/19
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / PARKER HARRELL; PARKER HARRELL

SB1900287 /
CONSTRUCTION

We propose to furnish and install fifteen (15) gravel packed wells, fourteen (14) around the perimeter, and one (1) at the elevator pit. We will also be installing 3 monitoring wells and potentially 5 contingency wells. We will only pump from up to 15 wells at a time. All wells will be located in a mutually agreed layout. The wells will be installed by advancing up to a 10.25 I.D. hollow stem auge...

125 O ST SE

08/19/19
DC WATER / null

E1910631 /
SUPPLEMENTAL

79 POTOMAC AVE SE

08/19/19
RIVERFRONT HOLDINGS I LLC / null

E1910633 /
SUPPLEMENTAL

301 TINGEY ST SE C-1

09/03/19
SEFC 160, LLC / JEFF NOLD

AH1901221 /
CONSTRUCTION

Work will occur on 3rd Street SE between Tingey St SE & Water St SE. We will be assessing and providing a CCTV inspection of a sewer line.